08/11/2026
A new visa rule just changed the math for international students — and admissions consultants can't agree on how much it matters.
Starting September 15, DHS is replacing "duration of status" with a flat four-year limit for F-1 and J-1 student visas, plus new restrictions on changing majors or transferring schools. Poets & Quants asked a group of MBA admissions consultants, including me, what this means for applicants — and the answers were all over the map.
I gave P&Q a longer answer than they had room to publish, so I wrote up the rest: why the government's stated reasoning doesn't hold up, why this creates real administrative headaches for schools (not just students), and why I think the bigger risk isn't the rule itself — it's the message it sends to the talented people the U.S. is trying to attract.
Read the full breakdown here: https://f.mtr.cool/khutozfviz